Little Red Riding Hood
by LadySunsetScales
Summary: Full of anxiety and feelings she's ashamed of, Helen Winchester must adjust to a life near someone she's sure can see right through her. She didn't think it could get anymore complicated than that. [Mega revamp of an old story; one-sided SharonxOC]
1. Prologue

_What is it doing?! No! Don't come toward me! Go to the illegal contractor!_

We were so close.

"Helen! Get out of there!"

Hadn't they told me not to interfere?

"HELEN!"

The chain changed before my very eyes for the second time that night. It went from the blonde girl's form it had taken up to its original wolfish appearance. And then...

Standing before me was Sharon.

What was she doing here? It was too dangerous.

"I forgive you, Helen."

I froze, wondering, wondering as I gazed fearfully into those kind violet eyes whether or not I'd heard her correctly.

"Sharon...?"

"I understand everything, Helen. I don't blame you. I've been keeping a secret much like yours."

No-one else's voices were getting through to me. Only Sharon's could be heard as she neared me and wrapped her arms around my waist. For once, I felt safe. Her arms were like coming home. For the first time in forever, I wasn't disgusted with myself. Not even when I let her kiss me.

Only when the spell was broken and I was falling did the mortification truly hit me.

Everyone knew the Big Bad Wolf brought out one's innermost desires.

And now, everyone knew mine.


	2. 1

"I understand. Thank you so much, Madame Sheryl. I am forever indebted to you."

The older woman gave me a gentle smile and a nod.

"Certainly, dear. Anything for an old friend of the family."

I couldn't begin to tell her how grateful I was to her without being utterly childish about. Moments ago I thought I was done for.

With the death of my father came the death of my mother's sanity. He was a wealthy man, and he got us on the good sides of many another wealthy family. When he died, we still had much of that, but I suppose mother did love him in her own way. When he was gone, everything changed. We never attended parties. She hardly even let me out into the yard by myself. Eventually, all of out relatives cut ties with us, fearful that Mother may rub off on them or worse. After that, it wasn't long until she died and left behind a very sheltered and very alone daughter.

But, insanity appeared to make the papers, and it didn't take long for our old family friend - the head of the Rainsworth dukedom - to drop in and rescue me.

In spite of all this, all I could do was curtsy and smile at her. I was an adult, and I knew I had to act like it. However, there were different schools of thought.

"Why, hello, Miss Winchester!" greeted the most eccentric of Sheryl's servants as he practically skipped into the room. "I can't believe it's actually you! You were only thiiiis big when I saw you last!"

As he spoke, he held one of his hands out at about the level of his rib cage.

For the life of me, I couldn't recall his name.

"Come along; I'll show you to your room," he promised as he placed one sleeve-drowned hand on my shoulder and ushered me forward.

"I'm afraid I don't quite remember you," I admitted nervously as I was hurried forth, my eyes shifting about.

The man pushing me forward chuckled.

"That's to be expected," he told me. "My name is Xerxes Break."

I felt more than a little sheepish at having forgotten about such a vibrant character. In my defense, though, my thoughts centered around this family were mostly about the Rainsworths' heiress, with whom I was very good friends as a child. Good friends. That was all.

"I can't wait until Sharon sees you," continued Break, almost as though reading my thoughts. "The two of you were so close. She's missed you all this time."

I doubted that was true. For all I knew, Break could be comforting me with a lie. Was he the sort of person who would do that, though?

"Oh?" was all I could say in reply.

The man chuckled once more and nodded. It was strange and unnerving to be in his presence. I had this feeling like he was looking straight through me, like he knew what I was. I shuddered at the eerie thought and tried to concentrate, instead, on reaching our destination.

"Here we are~!" Break singsonged, opening up a door virtually indistinguishable from those around it. "This is where you'll be sleeping."

"Thank you, Xerxes," I responded, not sure how to address my fellow servant formally.

It seemed 'Xerxes' would do, as he merely smiled and nodded back to me before deciding, "I'll let you grow accustomed to your new living arrangements before I show you the rest of the house. If you need me, I'm staying just across the hall.

I wasn't sure if I was all that pleased with sleeping just across the hall from this mind reader of a person, but I smiled to acknowledge this fact, anyway.

"Thank you, Xerxes," I said again.

"Break will do," Break informed me before stepping back out of my room.

It was larger than I expected. Then again, I suppose I really should have known better if I was going to reside with one of the Four Dukedoms. I felt more than a little grateful, truth be told. There I was, thinking I'd be lucky if I could find a humble, safe place to sleep on my own when one of my old friends rescued me and gave me a beautiful space to call my own. Perhaps someone was looking out for me, after all.


	3. 2

It wasn't until the second day that I saw who I most longed to see.

I was hard at work, I thought. At least, i was attempting to become accustomed to my new schedule. Break had me in charge of laundry, setting the table for meals, and greeting whoever was at the door. I had other chores, as well, if they came up. Namely, I was instructed to see to whatever I felt needed to be done.

When it happened, I was in the middle of washing a slip[laundry was sort of an embarrassing job for someone like me], and I heard voices moving toward me. What stood out most, though, was that I recognised both of the voices.

And I was sure one of them meant nothing but trouble.

"There you are! I almost didn't see you there! You really are so plain. Perhaps you should do something new with your hair," Break chattered, seemingly attempting to sound amiable.

_Thanks, _I thought sourly, only looking up to them with a pleasant smile out of necessity.

Seeing that I was correct that Break had brought _her _with him, I quickly stood, brushed my hands off on my skirt, and curtsied to her.

"I beg your pardon, Milady," I said meekly, my head bowed/ "I did not realise you would be stopping by to see - "

"Oh, Helen," break interrupted with a laugh. "You needn't be so formal! Milady simply wishes to reunite with a dear old friend."

Sharon, I found when I looked up again, was giving me quite a friendly smile. My face felt hot, and I found that I couldn't maintain eye contact.

"Is this really Helen Winchester?"

Shockingly, her smile grew wider. Could it be? Was she happy to see me?

_Don't be ridiculous._

"Yes, Milady," I replied politely.

To my great surprise, Sharon took my hands into hers and stared at me a moment. My heart nearly stopped altogether.

"You've grown so much," she remarked, squeezing my hands. "I can't believe it's been so long."

"Me...neither, Milady," I replied, dumbfounded.

"Please, Helen, you can call me Sharon. We are still friends, aren't we?"

I wondered just how red my face was getting at this point.

"My, my, Milady," Break piped up. "You never miss an opportunity to prey on young men and women, do you?"

"BREAK!" Sharon scolded.

I stared at him a moment, quite mortified, before I realised he was merely joking. The damage was done, however. My face was so warm I was certain it was as red as that eye of his.

"Please excuse his rudeness," Sharon laughed, seeming a bit awkward as she shoved Break meaningfully. "It seems, in his old age, he's losing more and more of his self-control."

Break chuckled at that comment.

"At any rate, it really is so nice to see you, Helen. I really do want to catch up, but I can see you're busy."

Oh, how I wished I could abandon my duties just to spend time with her!

"I shouldn't take too long," I told her with a smile.

"Wonderful," Sharon replied. "Come by my bedroom when you're finished. We can have tea."

Goodness, that sounded heavenly.

"I will," I promised.

With that, Sharon nodded pleasantly to me and left the room with a smirking Break in tow.


	4. 3

Weeks passed, turning into a month. It was all more or less the same every day. I got used to my schedule, even thought it changed every now and then. It seemed as though I'd left all that unnecessary stress and insanity behind me when I came here. Unfortunately, I really should have known that nothing could be absolute.

It began with a mumbled conversation taking place in the direction I headed. I wasn't trying to be nosy. Honest. it just so happened that the evident conspirators were in my path, almost as though that sketchy, one-eyed servant had lain a trap for me.

"Break, I'm telling you, it's ludicrous to send them on this mission. Just how many lessons do you feel you need to teach that boy?"

Even though I wasn't trying to be nosy, my curiosity was piqued. Mission? Lessons? That boy? What on Earth was all this nonsense?

I could hear Break click his tongue at the other.

"Liam, Liam, Liam. It's not as if this contractor's seal has made a full revolution yet," Break pointed out reasonably.

Though I hadn't a clue what the two were discussing, I could practically see the frustration in Liam's face.

Liam Lunettes was a very professional man, always in uniform and always adjusting his glasses. He acted as a servant to the Barma household, though I believed that he had a very odd history with the Rainsworths. For some reason, unknown to all but Liam himself, this very serious and work-oriented man chose to acquaint himself with Xerxes Break: The man who, in every way, was his opposite.

"Master Gilbert will chew your head off if you keep doing things like this!"

_Gilbert is a name I'm not quite familiar with, _I noted to myself as I neared the site of the argument.

My pace slowed subconsciously, curious as I was, and Break let out a carefree little laugh.

"Goodness, Liam, it's almost as if you're operating under the assumption that Gilbert's harsh words have any effect on me!"

"You really should listen to that man," Liam warned. "He may be a bit overprotective - "

"Obsessed," Break interrupted.

" - Over Oz," Liam continued, "but sometimes you really do put that boy in too much danger."

Oz? I'd heard of one Oz, and maybe I'd even met him when we were younger: Oz Vessalius, if I recalled correctly. Yet, what immediately came to mind along with his image was the news just ten years ago, proclaiming that he'd mysteriously gone missing at his own coming-of-age ceremony.

"I don't think anyone really understands that I'm doing this for Gilbert's sake more than anyone else's," Break sighed. "He needs to - "

_CRASH!_

Just like that, I remembered my chore. I was carrying the breakfast dishes back to the kitchen. _Was _being the operative term.

I stared, paralyzed, at the shattered remnants of teacups scattered on the floor, some still rocking from the impact from before. My body was frozen in that posture that hoped for the teacups' last-minute rescue. I could feel my eyes slowly shift upward against my will to see the two men - one shocked and the other quite amused - suddenly standing before me and the mess I'd made.

I continued to gape even as Break burst into another fit of laughter. It was a nice sound, to be sure, and perhaps I could have appreciated it if it hadn't also been so _evil, _one that seemed to feed off the suffering of poor souls such as Liam and me.

"Goodness, what a mess we have here," he chuckled, shaking his head and leaning forward slightly on his walking stick. "Two, by the looks of it. Liam, you clean up the one on the floor, and I'll get the one about to collapse against the wall."

i tried to ignore the fact that I was being referred to as a mess in need of cleaning up as Break ushered me down the hall.

"We - we really shouldn't leave Liam to deal with my problem," I tried, peering back over my shoulder at the other servant.

Break shook his head, that stupid smile still on his face.

I wanted to hurt him, but that would be unladylike.

"I'm going to cut right to the chase, Helen," he stated plainly, "and suppose that you heard most of that conversation."

"Oh, well, I wouldn't say _most _so much as - "

"So much as what?" he prodded, sensing my hesitation. "Because, you know, just because I'm old doesn't mean I can't hear well. And your idea of sneaking about is...well, it's quite sad, if I'm honest."

My face flushed, and I fiddled with my skirt quietly.

"You may as well come clean. I won't kill you or anything. Unless you want me to, I suppose."

I shook my head quickly, stammering, "Oh, no, I just...I just heard something about a-a mission and a contractor and...and people named Gilbert and Oz, but - "

"That much, mm?"

"I didn't understand a word of it," I said quickly.

"But I'm sure you're curious. Aren't you? Aren't you curious?" Break teased.

By this point, I was shaking violently and chewing on my lip almost hard enough to draw blood. I was no good at being put on the spot like this, particularly when I knew the eccentric man was right. I _was _curious. I knew no good could come of this, and I could spot the evil glint in that scarlet eye of his, but _god _was I curious!

Not wanting to really grace the infuriating man with a verbal reply, however, I merely nodded, clasping my hands low in front of me.

"There's really no avoiding this anyway, since you heard Oz's name."

"You found Master Oz?" I guessed, figuring out by now that he was speaking of the Vessalius heir.

Break grinned.

"You're brighter than you seem, Helen."

_Thanks._

"Well, who did it, then? And why would they keep him alive all these years?"

Break _tsked _at me, shaking his head.

"Oh, Helen. You really are such a naive creature."

_Thanks._

"Have you ever heard of the Abyss?"

I couldn't help it. I gave the older man an incredulous look.

_How old are you, anyway? _I thought. _Believing in such fables! For someone with so much condescension, you really are a foolish man._

"That's a fairytale," I finally told him, skepticism oozing from my voice.

I simply couldn't be respectful toward these delusions. Break clearly needed some growing up.

And yet, my logical statement seemed to spark another bout of melodic yet rude laughter from the man.

"Goodness, Helen, you needn't be so closed-minded," Break reprimanded, smiling eerily.

"'Closed-minded'?" I repeated indignantly. "I am not a child, Break, and you are even less so!"

"Well, Helen, like it or not, Oz Vessalius was thrown into the Abyss."

He was grinning widely, obviously amused. Clearly, he was toying with me to watch my reaction. Of all the lies he could have told me!

"We were supposed to retrieve him, but he seemed to just let himself out through an illegal contract."

"There's another of your terms," I pointed out, curiosity momentarily weighing out frustration. "What on Earth is an illegal contract?"

"I'll get to that, eventually. I didn't realise you were so impatient."

My face heated up, embarrassment for how I was acting finally catching up with me.

"I'll ask a simpler question: You've heard of Pandora, correct?"

"Yes..." I replied, raising an eyebrow. "I'm sure everyone has."

"But, do you know what their true purpose is?"

I opened my mouth to give him the answer, but closed it yet again once I pondered those carefully chosen words: 'True purpose'. Instead, I gave Break a look that told him to continue before I further made a fool of myself.

"Pandora works in the shadows," Break explained, ushering me forward so we could walk through the walls as we spoke. "We apprehend illegal contractors and, well, we deal with anything related to the Abyss, really."

He glanced at me to ensure he had my attention. He did.

Satisfied, he continued, "You see, in the Abyss, there live creatures called Chains. Multitudes of them. Their purpose, mainly, is to come into our dimension and make a contract with someone. At the end of which they will consume the person or drag them back down into the Abyss."

There was that Abyss speak again. But, I suspended my disbelief for the time being, as it was actually beginning to leave me altogether.

"Oz made one such contract with a chain known as B-Rabbit. However, there's a deeper story there that I don't particularly feel like getting into right now. So, moving on: I suppose you're wondering now what makes a legal contractor."

Hesitantly, I nodded once more. I was really curious about Oz's illegal contract, however. Why hadn't he been apprehended? Why was he being sent on missions? Why wasn't Break concerned over the ticking clock of the heir's contract?

I kept quiet, however. If there was one thing I knew about Break, it was that he was too stubborn to be convinced to explain something he clearly didn't want to.

"They do exist," he continued, either not seeing my true curiosity or choosing to ignore it. "But, they're only Pandora members."

Break reached for a small silver chain around his neck, drawing out an odd pendant from his shirt. As I inspected the pendant, I saw within it an odd, intricate, circular design.

"This pendant is our method of contracting with chains. With it, my contract with the Mad Hatter will not wind up with me being swallowed by the Abyss. Yet, I can still use the Mad Hatter's power."

As he dropped the pendant back into his shirt and resumed walking with me, I couldn't help but ask, "So your chain won't kill you either, then?"

This entire conversation was a lot to wrap my head around.

"Not quite," Break told me, absently brushing his index finger against the skin around his eye. "This sort of contract puts a great strain on my body. It keeps me from physically aging, but I may not live another year."

My heart sunk as a horrible thought struck me.

"And...and Lady Sharon?"

Break smiled, but it didn't seem quite so mean this time, quite so teasing.

"Milady's contract hasn't yet run its course," he promised. "She'll still be around long after you're rid of me."

"Oh...oh, no, I didn't mean - "

"It's alright," the man chuckled. "I don't care one way or the other what you think of me."

Truthfully, that was a little saddening, as I was slowly growing fond of this man in spite of how horribly agitating he could be. Sort of like a brother or something of the like. Those feelings aside, however, I found myself thinking of something much worse, something that could have negative implications for me.

"...Why are you telling me all of this?" I asked warily.

Break chuckled.

"Ah, yes."

He cleared his throat and stopped, leaning on his cane.

"Would you consider being my subordinate at Pandora?"

"Break, that's not - "

"Consider it fast."

"It's not practical!"

"We could use the extra help~."

"After what you said - !"

"What choice do you have, Helen?" he reasoned. "You can join Pandora, or you can live your boring life here and be left out of all official business."

He paused a moment, that grin returning with a vengeance.

"Including Milady's."

In all honesty, I didn't want to deal with official business. I didn't want to deal with the nightmare dimension known as the Abyss. I certainly didn't want to slowly kill myself by making any sort of agreement with a monster. But, more than anything, I didn't want to miss out on a whole chunk of Sharon's life, however long it lasted. Particularly not after being locked away for the past god-knows-how-many years.

"Break," I sighed, wringing my hands, "you're right. I...really don't have a choice. And...I may as well do something meaningful with myself."

"That's the spirit!" Break chuckled, patting me on the back. "No more being stuck in the house for you!"

My face flushed indignantly at the reference to my past.

"So," I said quickly, taking a deep breath, "...what do I do first?"


	5. 4

"You're telling me this is completely safe?" I demanded, refusing to step any closer to the foreboding door.

"Oh, Helen, it's been done hundreds of times before."

"That doesn't make me feel any better," I pointed out as Break pushed me forward.

"It's not hard," he told me. "Just let your chain come to you."

I clutched the pendant he'd given me, not at all sure what I'd be looking for.

"I'll be right here," he promised, and though it sounded teasing I still took some comfort in it.

I took a deep breath and stepped forward, placing one violently shaking hand on one of the bars over the doorway. I gripped it, hoping to steady myself and quell my anxiety.

However, it appeared that wouldn't happen, as all at once the room around me seemed to change. Darkness engulfed it, and I no longer had the bar to clutch. Menacing fog fell all around me, and I couldn't feel anything except my crippling terror. For a good while, nothing happened. I merely stood there, quaking as though the very ground beneath me was shaking.

Then, all at once, I was confronted by this terrible creature. I could call it a gigantic grey wolf, but it was so much worse than simply that. Its eyes moved constantly, made up of hypnotic red, orange, and yellow circles. Its ears were studded in gold and jewels. Its stomach seemed as though it had been open at one time in an 'X' shape and shoddily stitched together again. What was worse, it was giving me this...hungry look as it neared me. This couldn't be it. I couldn't make a contract with a creature that so obviously wanted to feel my blood cake its claws!

All of the sudden, it tilted its head, which seemed to trigger a horrid, distorted, roar-shriek of a noise. When I listened closely, I could hear something within it that sounded akin to the word "**CONTRACT?**"

_This must be the chain, then. It has to be. It's the one that came to me, after all..._

So, remembering the steps Break gave me, I took the beastly thing up on its offer.

* * *

I was so, so worried I wouldn't make it back to the real world.

But, there I was, leaning back against my fellow servant as though I had fainted. I was still shaking, my breathing shallow with utter panic. Not wanting to just have Break keep me upright, I pushed myself onto my own feet, very nearly falling over again.

"So, how did it go?" Break asked, feigning a pleasantness I knew very well he didn't have.

I looked at him a moment before fumbling with my new pendant, looking at it as well and praying I didn't somehow mess up and make an illegal contract by mistake.

Break let out another of his cruelly beautiful laughs and brought his hand p to support the pendant himself.

"Wonderful job, Helen, wonderful," he commended me(and I couldn't help but beam with pride at what I felt would be the only compliment I'd ever be given by the strange man). "Did you get what your chain was called?"

It never told me. I wasn't sure if it could truly talk. Yet, somewhere deep down, I _knew _what it was called.

"I think...I think it was called The Big Bad Wolf."

Well, _that _wasn't menacing at all.

Break chuckled.

"How fascinating," he remarked. "I believe..."

He thought a moment, trying to remember something unknown to me.

"Why, yes, that one is a master of disguise."

I gave him a questioning look, encouraging him to continue.

"It's much like a Mad Baby. Mad Babies take your memories from you, use them to create an image of someone you care about, most often, play with your emotions. You know."

As he spoke, he lead me out of that unnerving room. He must have been horribly tired of seeing me shake and wring my hands like a terrified child.

"It is a little different, however. The Big Bad Wold can ascertain whether love or fear will motivate a person more and acts accordingly. It can reflect a person's deepest desires, and it can echo a person's darkest fears. Yes, the Wolf is an interesting chain, to be sure. It can be the bait for a trap or even be the trap itself. I'm surprised it chose someone so...small and insignificant."

_Thanks..._

"You should be wary, however. The disguise ability is a tricky one to use and control. It puts a great strain on both the Wolf and its contractor. For every minute in disguise, the Wolf needs a day to recover afterward. It cannot be in disguise for fifteen minutes or more, because it will lose control of itself at that point and turn on its contractor."

I swallowed a lump in my throat, and my horrid shaking started up again.

"How can I use a chain that can't even do anything without straining itself?" I demanded, sounding, admittedly, quite whiny.

"It has more powers, you know," he went on. "They rely more on physical power than mental, but they are quite frightening. For instance, I know it has tentacles that can practically squeeze the life out of a person."

Break thought a moment before snapping his fingers.

"Another precaution - do have a good handle on your chain. The Big Bad Wolf is a ravenous one, and it has a nasty habit of devouring people indiscriminately, including its contractor."

I felt dizzy as I took this in, feeling a horrible, horrible weight on my shoulders all of the sudden.

_If the contract doesn't kill me, the contractee will..._

"Don't worry, though," he reassured me. "You'll get the hand of it. So long as you don't treat this like owning a pet, that is."

I shook my head and stared at my pendant, feeling darkness and evil emanating off of it like nothing else ever had.


End file.
